Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Union minister’s son Ashish Mishra expected to appear before cops today
Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister of state (MoS) of home affairs Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, is expected to appear before the Uttar Pradesh police at 11am on Saturday for questioning in connection with the incident where eight people lost their lives.
Ashish Mishra was previously summoned as a witness, not an accused, by the police on Friday but he failed to appear before them. MoS Teni later said his son was unable to report to the police due to ‘health reasons’. After this, the UP police pasted a fresh notice outside the minister’s residence asking his son Ashish Mishra to appear before them for questioning on October 9.
Ashish Mishra was named in a first information report (FIR) following allegations that he was in one of the vehicles that mowed down farmers protesting against UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit on Sunday.
Despite summons, Ashish Mishra managed to dodge the calls for questioning on Friday, even though he was seen making an appearance on some TV channels to proclaim his innocence earlier this week. A police team, headed by deputy inspector general (headquarters) Upendra Agrawal, waited for hours at the Lakhimpur Kheri police lines for Ashish, who had been asked to appear there at 10am, but he never showed up.
Around 2pm, the media waiting outside learnt that a second notice with the Saturday deadline had now been affixed at the family’s home in the town. Ashish’s father Ajay Mishra later faced a slew of journalists at the Lucknow airport, where the junior home minister said his son was not well but will record his statement before the police on Saturday.
The Supreme Court, however, has expressed its displeasure with how the UP police has been handling the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. While hearing the suo motu case regarding the matter on Friday, the top court pulled up the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government for not immediately arresting Ashish Mishra, commenting that the state police do not appear to be “really serious” even as the “brutal” episode left eight people dead five days ago. “This is an offence registered under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder charge),” the Supreme Court bench told lawyer Harish Salve, who was representing the UP government. “Do you treat everyone in the same manner? Giving them an invitation that you please come?”
Meanwhile, in Delhi, Congress has called for the immediate dismissal of Union minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ and the arrest of his son, Ashish. It also sought the setting up of a commission of two sitting judges to deliver justice within 30 days. For their part, the UP police have so far arrested two men after the matter reached the Supreme Court on Thursday, besides issuing the summons to the minister’s son.